Maricopa County supervisor calls on Recorder Heap to offer solution in drop box dispute

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin says Recorder Justin Heap needs to come forward with a solution for the drop box controversy before the primary elections begin.

“What I want to know from Justin Heap is what did he plan to do with the drop boxes?” Galvin told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Tuesday.

Heap made one thing clear: He opposed the board’s Wednesday vote to establish 12 ballot drop boxes for the July 2026 primary election. In a letter to supervisors, Heap argued that he has sole authority under Arizona law to choose early voting drop box locations.

“But he never said whether or not he wanted — or whether or not there should be — drop boxes. He hasn’t said that whatsoever. So I want to hear that from him. Haven’t heard from him,” Galvin said. “We have an election to run. In July, we have an important primary, and in November, we have an important general.”

He says the clock is ticking, especially after Heap warned in his letter that supervisors could be committing a felony if they set up drop boxes without his approval. Heap also said county employees who collect ballots from those locations could face felony charges.

“I have friends who have grandmothers who are election volunteers,” Galvin said. “The thought that Justin Heap wants to arrest old ladies for collecting ballots out of a drop box is absolutely disgusting and shocking.”

Board says Justin Heap previously approved plan for drop boxes

After Heap sent his May 20 letter, the Board of Supervisors scheduled a meeting and invited Heap to attend, but he did not show up.

 

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In a statement Wednesday, Heap defended his decision not to appear and accused the board of attempting to “seize control over ballot drop boxes.” Heap also said his office was not consulted about the proposed drop box locations and only learned about them after the board posted its agenda the day before the vote.

Galvin said that’s not true.

“We have been working with his office for months on these drop boxes, so that letter he sent saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m shocked that this is happening’ — completely disingenuous. His team knew about it,” Galvin said.

Other board members have also said Heap’s team knew about the drop box plans. They pointed to an email exchange between Maricopa County Elections Director Scott Jarrett and Heap’s chief of staff, Sam Stone, in which the two discussed election-related responsibilities.

The drop box dispute is part of a larger fight between Heap and the county supervisors over who controls parts of Maricopa County’s election operations.

Heap sued the board in June 2025. He argued that supervisors had stripped his office of funding, IT staff and key election duties, including managing ballot drop boxes and setting up early voting sites. Those changes came through an agreement negotiated with his predecessor, Stephen Richer.

In April, Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled mostly in Heap’s favor. The judge ordered the board to return IT staff, servers and equipment to the recorder’s office. He also barred supervisors from taking over duties that state law assigns to the recorder.

“We believe that the ruling from the judge wasn’t exactly clear on who does what, which is why we’re appealing in that ruling,” Galvin said.

Correction: A previous version of this story included an April 27 email exchange between Jarrett and Stone that included the word “draft.” The email that KTAR News received from Maricopa County as part of a records request did not include the word “draft” and the addition was a result of how the file was downloaded and reposted.

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